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The Lord Will Be with Israel
9 Listen, Israel. You will soon cross the Jordan River to go in and ·force out [dispossess] nations that are bigger and stronger than you. They have large cities with ·walls [fortifications] up to the ·sky [heavens]. 2 The people there are ·Anakites [L sons/descendants of the Anakim], who are strong and tall [1:28; Num. 13:28]. You know about them, and you have heard it said: “·No one can stop [L Who can stand up to…?] the ·Anakites [L the sons/descendants of Anak].” 3 But today remember that the Lord your God goes in before you to destroy them like a ·fire that burns things up [consuming fire]. He will defeat ·them [L and subdue them] ahead of you, and you will force them out and destroy them quickly, just as the Lord has said.
4 After the Lord your God has forced those nations out ahead of you, don’t say ·to yourself [L in your heart/mind], “The Lord brought me here to take this land because I am so ·good [righteous].” No! It is because these nations are evil that the Lord will ·force them out [dispossess them] ahead of you. 5 You are going in to ·take [possess] the land, not because ·you are good and honest [L of your righteousness or the integrity/virtue of your heart/mind], but because these nations are evil. That is why the Lord your God will ·force them out [dispossess them] ahead of you, to keep his promise to your ·ancestors [fathers], to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [Gen. 12:1–3; 15:17–20]. 6 The Lord your God is giving you this good land to ·take [possess] as your own. But know this: It is not because you are ·good [righteous]; you are a ·stubborn [L stiff-necked] people.
Remember the Lord’s Anger
7 Remember this and do not forget it: You made the Lord your God angry in the ·desert [wilderness]. You ·would not obey [rebelled against] the Lord from the day you left Egypt until you arrived here. 8 At ·Mount Sinai [L Horeb; 1:6] you made the Lord angry—angry enough to destroy you [Ex. 32]. 9 When I went up on the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets with the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] the Lord had ·made [L cut] with you, I stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights; I did not eat bread or drink water. 10 The Lord gave me two stone tablets, which God had written on with his own finger [C the Ten Commandments; Ex. 20:2–17; 31:18]. On them were all the commands that the Lord gave to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day ·you were gathered there [of the assembly].
11 When the forty days and forty nights were over, the Lord gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets with the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] on them. 12 Then the Lord told me, “Get up and go down quickly from here, because the people you brought out from Egypt are ·ruining [corrupting] themselves. They have quickly turned away from ·what [L the way] I commanded and have made an idol for themselves [C a golden calf; Ex. 32:3–4].”
13 The Lord said to me, “I have watched these people, and they are very ·stubborn [L stiff-necked]! 14 Get away so that I may destroy them and ·make the whole world forget who they are [L blot off their name from under heaven]. Then I will make another nation from you that will be bigger and stronger than they are.”
15 So I turned and came down the mountain that was burning with fire, and the two stone tablets with the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] were in my hands. 16 When I looked, I saw you had sinned against the Lord your God and had made an idol in the shape of a calf. You had quickly turned away from ·what [L the way] the Lord had ·told [commanded] you to do. 17 So I took the two stone tablets and threw them down, breaking them into pieces ·right in front of you [L before your eyes; Ex. 32:19].
18 Then I ·again [as before/formerly] bowed facedown on the ground before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I did not eat bread or drink water. You had sinned by doing what the Lord said was evil, and you made him angry. 19 I was afraid of the Lord’s anger and rage, because he was angry enough with you to destroy you, but the Lord listened to me ·again [L at that time]. 20 And the Lord was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but then I prayed for Aaron, too. 21 I took that sinful calf idol you had made and burned it in the fire. I crushed it into a powder like dust and threw the dust into a stream that flowed down the mountain [Ex. 32:20].
22 You also made the Lord angry at Taberah [Num. 11:3], Massah [Ex. 17:7], and Kibroth Hattaavah [Num. 11:34].
23 Then the Lord sent you away from Kadesh Barnea and said, “Go up and ·take [possess] the land I have given you.” But you ·rejected [rebelled against] the command of the Lord your God. You did not trust him or ·obey him [L listen to his voice; Num. 13–14]. 24 You have ·refused to obey [rebelled against] the Lord as long as I have[a] known you.
25 The Lord had said he would destroy you, so I threw myself down in front of him for those forty days and forty nights. 26 I prayed to the Lord and said, “Lord God, do not destroy your people, your ·own people [L inheritance], whom you ·freed [ransomed; redeemed] and brought out of Egypt by your great power and ·strength [L strong hand]. 27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Don’t look at how ·stubborn [hard] these people are, and don’t look at their sin and evil. 28 Otherwise, ·Egypt [L the land from which you brought us] will say, ‘It was because the Lord was not able to take his people into the land he promised them, and it was because he hated them that he took them into the ·desert [wilderness] to kill them.’ 29 But they are your people, Lord, your ·own people [L inheritance], whom you brought out of Egypt with your great power and ·strength [L outstretched arm].”
New Stone Tablets
10 At that time the Lord said to me, “·Cut [Carve; Chisel] two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden Ark [Ex. 25:10]. 2 I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the first tablets, which you broke, and you will put the new tablets in the Ark [Ex. 34].”
3 So I made the Ark out of acacia wood, and I ·cut [carved; chiseled] out two stone tablets like the first ones. Then I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4 The Lord wrote the same things on these tablets he had written before—the Ten ·Commandments [L Words; Ex. 20:2–27; 34] that he had told you on the mountain from the fire, on the day ·you were gathered [of the assembly] there. And the Lord gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and came down the mountain; I put the tablets in the Ark I had made, as the Lord had commanded, and they are still there.
6 (The ·people [L sons; children] of Israel went from ·the wells of the Jaakanites [or Beeroth-bene-jaakan] to Moserah. Aaron died there and was buried [Num. 20:22–29]; his son Eleazar became priest in his place. 7 From Moserah they went to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah they went to Jotbathah [Num. 33:33], a place with ·streams [wadis] of water. 8 At that time the Lord ·chose [set apart] the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; Ex. 25:10] with the Lord. They were to ·serve [minister to] the Lord and to bless the people in his name, which they still do today [Num. 6:22–27]. 9 That is why the Levites did not ·receive any land of their own [L have an allotment and inheritance along with their brothers]; instead, they ·received the Lord himself as their gift [L inherited the Lord himself], as the Lord your God ·told [promised] them.)
10 I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights just like the first time, and the Lord listened to me this time also. He did not want to destroy you. 11 The Lord said to me, “Go and lead the people so that they will go in and ·take [possess] the land I promised their ·ancestors [fathers; Gen. 12:1–3; 15:17–20].”
What the Lord Wants You to Do
12 Now, Israel, ·this is what [L what is it that…?] the Lord your God wants you to do: ·Respect [Fear] the Lord your God, and ·do what he has told you to do [L walk on all his ways/paths]. Love him. Serve the Lord your God with ·your whole being [L all your heart/mind and all your soul], 13 and obey the Lord’s commands and ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] that I am giving you today for your own good.
14 The Lord owns the ·world [earth] and everything in it—the heavens, even the ·highest heavens [L heaven of heavens], are his. 15 But the Lord ·cared for [stuck to] and loved your ·ancestors [fathers], and he chose you, their ·descendants [L seed], over all the other nations, just as it is today. 16 ·Give yourselves completely to serving him [L Circumcise the foreskin of your heart], and do not be stubborn any longer. 17 The Lord your God is God of all gods and Lord of all lords. He is the great God, who is strong and ·wonderful [awesome]. He does not ·take sides [show favoritism/partiality], and he will not ·be talked into doing evil [take a bribe]. 18 He ·helps [grants justice to] orphans and widows, and he loves ·foreigners [resident aliens] and gives them food and clothes. 19 You also must love ·foreigners [resident aliens], because you were ·foreigners [resident aliens] in Egypt. 20 ·Respect [Fear] the Lord your God and serve him. ·Be loyal [Cling] to him and ·make your promises in [swear by] his name. 21 He is the one you should praise; he is your God, who has done great and ·wonderful [awesome] things for you, which you have seen with your own eyes. 22 There were only seventy of your ·ancestors [fathers] when they went down to Egypt [Gen. 46:26; Ex. 1:5], and now the Lord your God has made you as many as the stars in the sky [Gen. 15:5; 22:19].
A Story About Planting Seed(A)
4 When a great crowd was gathered, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, he told them this ·story [parable]:
5 “A ·farmer [sower] went out to ·plant [sow] his seed. While he was ·planting [sowing, scattering seed], some seed fell ·by the road [along the footpath]. People ·walked [trampled] on the seed, and the ·birds [L birds of the sky] ate it up. 6 Some seed fell on rock, and when it began to grow, it ·died [withered; dried up] because it had no ·water [moisture]. 7 Some seed fell among thorny weeds, but the weeds grew up with it and choked ·the good plants [L it]. 8 And ·some [L other] seed fell on good ·ground [soil] and grew and made a hundred times more.”
As Jesus finished the story, he called out, “·Let those with ears use them and listen [L The one who has ears to hear, let him hear]!”
9 Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] asked him what this ·story [parable] meant.
10 Jesus said, “·You have been chosen [L It has been granted/given to you] to ·know [understand] the ·secrets [mysteries] about the kingdom of God. But I use ·stories [parables] to speak to ·other people [the rest] so that:
‘They will ·look [see], but they may not ·see [perceive].
They will ·listen [hear], but they may not understand [Is. 6:9].’
11 “This is what the ·story [parable] means: The seed is God’s ·message [word]. 12 The seed that fell ·beside the road [along the footpath] is like the people who hear God’s teaching, but [L then] the devil comes and takes it away from ·them [L their hearts] so they cannot believe it and be saved. 13 The seed that fell on rock is like those who hear God’s teaching and ·accept [receive] it ·gladly [L with joy], but they ·don’t allow the teaching to go deep into their lives [L have no root]. They believe for a while, but when ·trouble [L a time of temptation/testing] comes, they ·give up [fall away; depart]. 14 The seed that fell among the thorny weeds is like those who hear God’s teaching, but they let the ·worries [cares; anxieties], riches, and pleasures of this life ·keep them from growing and producing [L choke/crowd them and they do not produce] ·good [mature; ripe] fruit. 15 And the seed that fell on the good ground is like those who hear ·God’s teaching [the word] with good, honest hearts and ·obey [cling/hold to] it and ·patiently [with perseverance] produce good fruit.
Use What You Have(B)
16 “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. Instead, the person puts it on a lampstand so those who come in will see the light. 17 [L For] Everything that is ·hidden [secret] will ·become clear [be revealed; disclosed; brought into the open] and every ·secret [hidden; concealed] thing will be made known [L and come to light]. 18 So ·be careful [pay attention; L see] how you listen. [L For] Those who ·have understanding [L have] will be given more. But those who do not ·have understanding [L have], even what they think they have will be taken away from them.”
Jesus’ True Family(C)
19 Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but there was such a crowd they could not get to him. 20 Someone ·said [reported] to Jesus, “Your mother and your ·brothers [or brothers and sisters; C the Greek word can mean “siblings”] are standing outside, wanting to see you.”
21 Jesus answered them, “My mother and my ·brothers [or brothers and sisters] are those who listen to God’s ·teaching [word] and ·obey [do; practice] it!”
19 You ·see [know] my ·shame [reproach; scorn] and disgrace.
·You know all my enemies and what they have said [L The humiliation of all my foes is before you].
20 ·Insults [Reproach; Scorn] have broken my heart
and ·left me weak [I am depressed].
I ·looked [hoped; waited] for ·sympathy [pity; consolation], but there was none;
I found no one to comfort me.
21 They ·put [L gave me] poison in my food
and gave me vinegar to drink for my thirst [Matt. 27:48; Mark 15:23, 36; Luke 23:36; John 19:29].
22 Let their ·own feasts cause their ruin [L table be a snare before them];
·let their feasts trap them and pay them back [or a trap for their friends].
23 Let their eyes be ·closed [L darkened] so they cannot see
and their ·backs [L loins] ·be forever weak from troubles [L tremble all the time].
24 Pour your ·anger [wrath] out on them;
let your anger ·catch up with [overtake] them.
25 May their ·place [camp] be ·empty [desolate];
leave no one to live in their tents.
26 They ·chase after [persecute; pursue] those you have ·hurt [struck],
and they talk about the pain of those you have wounded.
27 Charge them with ·crime after crime [L guilt on guilt],
and do not ·let them have anything good [vindicate them].
28 ·Wipe [Blot] their names from the book of life [C kill them],
and do not ·list them [write them down] with those who ·do what is right [are righteous].
29 I am ·sad [afflicted] and ·hurting [in pain].
God, ·save me [give me victory] and ·protect me [give me refuge].
30 I will praise ·God [L the name of God] in a song
and will ·honor [magnify] him by giving thanks.
31 That will please the Lord more than ·offering him cattle [L an ox],
more than sacrificing a bull with horns and hoofs.
32 Poor people will see this and be glad [C offering an ox or bull is expensive].
·Be encouraged, you who worship God [The hearts of those who seek God will be enlivened].
33 The Lord listens to those in need
and does not ·look down on [despise] ·captives [prisoners].
34 Heaven and earth should praise him,
the seas and ·everything in them [L all that swarms in them].
35 God will ·save Jerusalem [L give Zion victory; C the location of the Temple]
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will live there and own the land.
36 The ·descendants [L seed] of his servants will inherit that land,
and those who love ·him [L his name] will live there.
2 The Lord ·is pleased with [favors] a good person,
but he will ·punish [condemn] ·anyone who plans evil [schemers].
3 Doing evil brings no safety at all,
but ·a good person has safety and security [L the root of the righteous will not be disturbed].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.